NEW BOOK OUTLINES LA GRANDE-AREA MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS

EXPERTISE COMBINED: Mark Larson, left, and Brian Sather teamed up to put out the new mountain biking book. (The Observer/DICK MASON).

Dick Mason

The Observer

No 3D glasses?

No problem.

A new book, one that may prove as popular with Union County mountain bikers as 3D movies once were with the general public, is out.

The work, "Mountain Biking La Grande Oregon," is the first book focusing on cycling trails in Union County. Its features include about half a dozen 3D images of mountain bike trail maps in the La Grande area, images can be viewed without the stereoscopic glasses needed to see 3D movies in the 1950s.

The authors, Mark Larson of

La Grande and Brian Sather of Summerville, want other cyclists to discover what they have known for years.

"It's a great mountain biking playground up there (in the surrounding hills and mountains). It's an undiscovered area,'' said Larson, the owner of Cyclesports in La Grande and Flagstaff Sports of Baker City.

Until now, though, finding out about this playground has been as frustrating as a rash of flat tires on a rugged trail.

"Every summer I get at least 100 people coming into my shop asking about trails,'' Larson said. "I would end up making 150 hand-drawn maps.''

The approximately 40 maps in "Mountain Biking La Grande" look anything but hand drawn. All were made using National Geographic topographic software. Sather did the computer work, allowing maps to be added. He is an assistant professor of physical activity and health at EOU. He moved to La Grande from Texas but is no stranger to Oregon since he earlier lived in the Eugene area.

"When I moved here four years ago, I had no idea where trails were,'' Sather said.

He soon found himself making many visits to Larson's shop.

"Mark is a wealth of information,'' Sather said.

Upon learning 1 1/2 years ago that Larson was thinking of writing a book, Sather called him up and offered to help.

The pair then teamed up to produce a tightly written, colorful, lightweight 88-page book that can easily fit into any backpack. Twenty-one trails are covered in the book, all ones Sather and Larson have ridden extensively. The trails fall into four categories: easy, more difficult, most difficult and downhill — most difficult.

One of the easiest is the one-mile Ladd Marsh Nature Trail that the authors say requires a fitness level of 1 on a scale of 5.

On the other end of the fitness scale is the Mount Emily Loop ride. A fitness level of 5 is needed, according to the book.

"This ride is epic in scale, capped with a grand viewpoint at Indian Rock, followed by a treacherous plummet down to the valley floor,'' Larson and Sather write.

The most harrowing ride listed is the 2.6-mile Hale Spring Downhill in the Indian Rock area.

"The descent is treacherous, just the way kamikazes like it. ... You won't be disappointed with this thrill ride unless you are scared of heights,'' the authors write.

Each trail chapter includes a box that lists essential information such as length, technical difficulty, time needed, trail surface, elevation, vertical gain or drop and maximum grade. Detailed driving directions are provided to trailheads.

The book also contains a section on what to take on a mountain biking trip. Topping the list is a good helmet. The authors stress that helmets should be replaced periodically.

"Sweat and the heat of the sun will adversely affect a helmet's performance. When you crash into that pile of rocks, it's too late to find out that the helmet you've been wearing since 1989 is so brittle that it cracks open like an eggshell on impact,'' Larson and Sather write.

A chapter on trail etiquette should also prove valuable to bikers. Much of it focuses on what a biker should do when encountering others including horseback riders, runners, all-terrain vehicles and fellow mountain bikers on trails.

Mountain bikers meeting horseback riders are advised to get off the trail and wait for horses to pass.

"Don't make any sudden movements or loud sounds. You never know when a horse may spook and throw its rider,'' the authors write.

Cyclists going downhill who meet another mountain biker coming up a narrow trail are advised to stop and let the uphill rider keep coming.

"Remember, the rider going uphill always has the right-of-way. It's easy for you to get rolling again; you have gravity working for you. He doesn't,'' Larson and Sather write.

"Mountain Biking La Grande" came out earlier this month, and already is making an impact. The book piqued the interest of members of a Seattle mountain-biking club, who plan to make a trip to Union County this summer, Larson said.

Larson and Sather hope that more people from outside the area can be drawn here.

"This area can become a destination for mountain bikers,'' Larson said.

The features Union County offers are many, including uncommon scenery.

"You have great views along any trail,'' Larson said.

Another plus is that riders are less likely to get flat tires here than in many other areas because of a shortage of what mountain bikers call goat heads. These are weeds with sharp, thorny seed pods.

"Surprisingly, the trails around La Grande seem to be immune from these menacing weeds,'' Larson and Sather write.

This is one reason why the La Grande area has the potential to draw riders from the outside and entice more residents to hit the trails. Larson noted that one great thing the area offers residents is trails that are easily accessible from

La Grande.

"Here in La Grande, we are truly blessed to have quality mountain biking. Real mountain biking, so close at hand. In less time then it takes you to look through this book, you could be on your bike and on the trail,'' Larson and Sather write.

Some trails listed can be reached in less than 10 minutes, and all can be reached in an hour or less.

The book also has a chapter on winter riding. Though trails are usually closed due to snow, good country roads are available for winter biking. Larson and Sather, though, urge winter riders to exercise extreme caution.

"La Grande-area residents are accustomed to driving on ice and snow, and to prove this, they drive as fast as possible regardless of the conditions. This creates a dangerous situation for a mountain biker. On the other hand, the farm roads have very little traffic and offer better conditions than main roads.''

Many higher elevation trails in the book will not be accessible until June because of snow. However, a number of lower elevations trails are now clear. Current information on the status of trails can obtained at LaGrandeRide.com, a Web site established by Sather that complements the book he and Larson wrote.

Mountain Biking La Grande is available at Cyclesports, 1910 Island Ave.; Sunflower Books, 1114 Washington Ave.; and the EOU Bookstore, first floor, Hoke Union Building.